NEPHI, Utah — You can say Mr. Q, as he's known throughout the halls of Juab High School, is a man of his word.
“If I say I’m going to do something, then I better do it," said Mr. Q, otherwise known as principal Todd Quarnberg. "Keeping my word is probably one of the most important things I learned as an educator.”
Quarnberg also admits to being a competitor. So when he was charged with making one of his biggest life decisions yet, it was a competition of mind and matter.
“Well, I did, and I got a call, and they said you’re a match," he recalled. "She is not a relation of mine. She’s not like this dear friend of mine, and I had to think, OK, how serious was my commitment here, and that’s when I learned if I said if I’m going to do something, I’m gonna do it because I’m telling you that was a hard decision.”
The decision weighing on Quarnberg's mind was whether to donate his kidney to Evelyn, a fellow educator at a different school. The two had known each other through occasional meetings where Quarnberg learned Evelyn was a dialysis patient.
Doctors initially thought Evelyn’s sister could provide a life-saving kidney, but despite the family bond, the two weren’t a match. That's when Quarnberg volunteered on a whim.
Quarnberg was told several times that there was a way out, and medical officials could always tell possible recipients that testing failed to match.
"I said no, I’d already made the commitment," he said.
Immediately after donating his kidney, Quarnberg was told Evelyn began to feel a lot better.
"I saw her walking long before I was; she was moving," he said. "That experience taught me: face it. Face it, and now when I talk to kids, I have a perspective. I’ve learned to face hard things.”
While the decision wasn’t an easy one for Quarnberg, it’s made him better at his job. He believes, in turn, it also made Evelyn better at her job.
“We’re both in the same business of helping others, and we help each other out," Quarnberg explained. "What I gave her was an opportunity to go continue employment, and it actually gave her better health so she could do more for students and staff, and I know that sounds grand. Maybe that’s what I’m supposed to tell you, but no, that’s from the heart.”
So with another school year set to begin Wednesday, Quarnberg's experience is another opportunity to instill that go—fight—win mentality.
“This is Juab High School, and I’m a Juab High School student. I don’t bow to anybody; I can pass that test. I hope Evelyn impacted thousands of more kids, but that experience helped me impact hundreds of thousands of kids.”
